There are several devices in prior US patent art which inject foods with solid materials. Among these are: U.S. Pat. No. 1,155,139 which teaches a device for curing, spicing and seasoning meats. This device has a segmented pointed tip which penetrates the meat in a closed configuration and then opens to allow solid materials to be injected within the meat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,160 teaches a device for injecting solid spices and liquids into meats prior to cooking. The device comprises a pointed slug which caps a cylindrical tube which is filled through a reservoir with the ingredients to be injected. The slug penetrates the meat followed by the cylindrical tube. The slug then precedes the tube allowing the ingredients to enter the meat. The slug and the tube are then removed from the meat under spring pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,688 discloses yet another device to inject fillings within sandwiches. This device works on a similar principle to the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,155,139.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,467 shows a device which injects stuffings into meats. A pointed square tube containing a sliding cylindrical piston is described. The piston forces the stuffings through the tube and into the interior of the meat.
Each of these devices has shortcomings which may include, but are not limited to: difficulty in cleaning, inconvenient apparatus filling, complexity in use, and difficult fabrication.